I had the pleasure of spending Canada Day (July 1) in Vancouver, Canada, and got to see firsthand how the Canadians celebrated their traditional national day.
What was most striking and pleasing was not how the celebration was enjoyed, but who was celebrating. We were in the middle of several gathering places and what we saw were brown, black, white, yellow and indigenous people; men, women and children; heterosexuals and LBGT persons; and persons with obviously different religious connections — all celebrating together. Yes, they were all enjoying the day, celebrating that they are “Canadians” and not people of one color or another, one ethnicity or another, one culture or another, or the “chosen tribe” or “chosen religion”. No, they were Canadians united in celebrating what it means to be Canadian. What a wonderful sight to behold.
What happened to the great old USA? Very sad that America is no longer that “shiny city upon a hill.” I fear that with our nastiness and tribalism the “beacon light” is quickly fading. What happened?
How do we recapture some of that grander view?
Brad Hardy, Salt Lake City